Piano Illiterature - Volume 5:

01 Po, Li, Ou - 26:17 - 2009-2010 - tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE

From November 13 to December 11, 2009, I wrote multiple related texts as manifestations & explanations of 3 language games that I'd invented: Po, Li, Ou. These language games restricted the creation of texts to the use of one one-syllable word ("Po") w/ multiple meanings in multiple languages to produce a narrative, two one-syllable words ("Li" = Li, Po) to be used in the same way, & three ("Ou" = Ou, Li, Po): ditto.

Then, on April 17, 2010, I went to Greensboro, NC, esp to visit my friend Mark Dixon & to use an invention that he made w/ collaborator Fred Snider: the "Selectric Piano". This is an IBM Selectric typewriter that's been modified so that every key position has a one-to-one correspondence to an 88-key keyboard (w/ slight deviance). Typing on the Selectric Piano in turn results in the playing of, in this instance, an 88-key electric piano.

Since the "Po, Li, Ou" texts have long sections where only the letters "P", "p", "O", & "o" are used - in addition to some punctuation, the resultant melodies are similarly minimal. Careful listeners will be able to deduce wch pitch corresponds to wch letter.

Typist Jodi Staley typed all 3 texts. I made a movie (broken into 4 parts on YouTube) of this performative process. This track is the complete movie soundtrack. Below is the complete text for "Po" - wch consists of its explanation, an example manifestation, a translation, & an explanation of the translation.

Po, English, a language game invented by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE
(the greatest undiscovered OuLiPoian writer) on Friday, November 13, 2009EV,
in wch a word's having many meanings in many different languages
is exploited in order to construct narrative texts using only one word
- the meaning being derived by then translating that word's multiple meanings.
Future variations on the game are Li, &Ou .

Sample text - entitled "Po" (of course):

Po po, po po po, po, po, po po po, po po po. Po, po po, po po po, po po, po, po po po, po po po po po.

Translation:

At sunset, according to the whole operational program, a small thing, yes, son, to gush in belly, to gush in arse. After strip, in the wake of skin, at a time when night, not translatable indicator of respect, agentive particle, in exchange for pole by mouth, to flutter close hand all along sir or madam.

po = "at" in Esperanto
po = "sunset" in Marquesan
po = "according to" in Serbian (Latin Script)
po = "the whole" in Tocharian (Transliterated)
po = "operational program" in Portuguese & Spanish
po = "a small thing" in Ainu
po = "son" in Ainu
po = "to gush" in Chewa
po = "in" in Croatian, French, Lithuanian, & Serbian (Latin Script)
po = "belly" in Caló
po = "to gush" in Chewa
po = "in" in Croatian, French, Lithuanian, & Serbian (Latin Script)
po = "arse" in German
po = "after" in Croatian, Czech, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovak, & Slovak old
po = "strip" in Indonesian
po = "in the wake of" in Lithuanian
po = "skin" in Creole & Haitian Creole
po = "at a time" in Slovio
po = "when" in Swahili
po = "night" in Samoan
po = "not translatable" in Tagalog
po = "indicator of respect" in Pampangan & Tagalog
po = "agentive particle" in Tibetan (Transliterated)
po = "in exchange for" in Ido
po = "pole" in Valencian
po = the abbreviation for "per os"(Latin) = "by mouth"(medical terminology)
po = "to flutter" in Denya
po = "close" in Gilbertese
po = "hand" in Guarani (Transliterated)
po = "all along" in Czech
po = "sir or madam" in Pampangan & Tagalog

MANY THANKS TO THE
Webster's Online Dictionary with Multilingual Thesaurus Translation

My "Po, a language game" is online @:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/62010-po-li-ou?chapter=1
The movie version is here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/onesownthoughts#p/a/u/0/T--GnT8Xk0w

My "Li, a language game" is online, thanks to Alan Sondheim, @
http://cyberculture.zacha.org/archive/Week-of-Mon-20091207/008531.html
& here: http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/62010-po-li-ou?chapter=2
The movie version is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZk-vJoI9nY

My "Ou, a language game" is online, thanks to Alan Sondheim, @:
http://www.mail-archive.com/netbehaviour@netbehaviour.org/msg09622.html
& here: http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/62010-po-li-ou?chapter=3
The movie version is here in 2 parts:
pt 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDvCwN_QB04
pt 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPduDtGGlwU


02 A Catamaran Animist Vigor intro - 2:08 - 2009-2010 - tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE

On the same day that I made the "Po, Li, Ou" movie using the Selectric Piano explained in the previous track notes, I also made a movie using an "Anagrammatic Variations" text in wch the words "Catamaran" & "Catamarans" appeared. Using an online anagram generator, I created a list of anagrams of "Anagrammatic Variations" wch turned out to be so huge that the text program that I cut & paste them to had difficulty opening. The list of the actual anagrams used culled from the larger list is given in the next track's notes. Bart Trotman, who I hadn't previously met & who was Mark Dixon's main collaborator in the band "Invisible", was game for trying to type this list. This track is my very brief explanation to Bart of what we'd be doing.

03 A Catamaran Animist Vigor - 41:03 - 2009-2010 - tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE

In addition to using the sounds of the typewriter & the electric piano, I used the MIDI output from the electric piano to control my own electronic devices so that I cd further complicate the sounds. Here're the anagrams I gave to Bart to type. What he actually typed is not always a correct duplication of the below.

A Catamarans Rigatoni Vim
A Catamarans Airing Vomit
A Catamarans Air Vomiting
A Catamaran Rigatoni Vims
A Catamaran Airing Vomits
A Catamaran Arising Vomit
A Catamaran Raising Vomit
A Catamaran Airings Vomit
A Catamaran Gamin Visitor
A Catamaran Roaming Visit
A Catamaran Animist Vigor
A Catamaran Savior Timing
A Catamaran Sari Vomiting
A Catamaran Airs Vomiting
A Catamaran Via Mortising
A Catamaran Roam Visiting
A Catamarans Airing Vim To
A Catamarans Gain Vim Riot
A Catamarans Gain Vim Tiro
A Catamarans Gain Vim Trio
A Catamarans Oaring Vim Ti
A Catamarans Oaring Vim It
A Catamarans Orating I Vim
A Catamarans Grain I Vomit
A Catamarans Raving I Omit
A Catamarans Virago I Mint
A Catamarans Virago Mi Tin
A Catamarans Virago Mi Nit
A Catamarans Gait Rim Vino
A Catamarans Gait Vim Iron
A Catamarans Trivia Gin Om
A Catamarans Aim Riving To
A Catamarans Aim Virgin To
A Catamarans Aim Roving Ti
A Catamarans Aim Roving It
A Catamarans Aim Vigor Tin
A Catamarans Aim Vigor Nit
A Catamarans Aim Grit Vino
A Catamarans Aim Girt Vino
A Catamarans Aim Trig Vino
A Catamarans Main Vigor Ti
A Catamarans Main Vigor It
A Catamarans Amir Voting I
A Catamarans Ani Rig Vomit
A Catamarans Anti Vigor Mi
A Catamarans Vain Rig Omit
A Catamarans Ratio Gin Vim
A Catamarans Iota Grin Vim
A Catamarans Iota Ring Vim
A Catamarans Air Moving Ti
A Catamarans Air Moving It
A Catamarans Air Gin Vomit
A Catamarans Air Ingot Vim
A Catamarans Air Voting Mi
A Catamarans Vita Grim Ion
A Catamarans Vita Groin Mi
A Catamarans Via Miring To
A Catamarans Via Riming To
A Catamarans Via Timing Or
A Catamarans Via Tiring Om
A Catamarans Via Grim Into
A Catamarans Via Ingot Rim
A Catamarans Via Grin Omit
A Catamarans Via Ring Omit
A Catamarans Atom Riving I
A Catamarans Atom Virgin I
A Catamarans Moat Riving I
A Catamarans Moat Virgin I
A Catamarans Oat Riving Mi
A Catamarans Oat Virgin Mi
A Catamarans Ova Miring Ti
A Catamarans Ova Miring It
A Catamarans Ova Riming Ti
A Catamarans Ova Riming It
A Catamarans Ova Mitring I
A Catamarans Ova Tiring Mi
A Catamarans Ova Grit Mini
A Catamarans Ova Girt Mini
A Catamarans Ova Trig Mini
A Catamarans At Origin Vim
A Catamarans At Vigor Mini
A Catamarans Vat Origin Mi
A Catamaran Airing Vims To
A Catamaran Airing Vim Sot
A Catamaran Arising Vim To
A Catamaran Raising Vim To
A Catamaran Airings Vim To
A Catamaran Visaing Mi Rot
A Catamaran Visaing Mi Tor
A Catamaran Visaing Rim To
A Catamaran Magi Visit Nor
A Catamaran Magi Vino Stir
A Catamaran Magi Tin Visor
A Catamaran Magi Nit Visor
A Catamaran Gamin Visit Or
A Catamaran Gamin Visor Ti
A Catamaran Gamin Visor It
A Catamaran Mating I Visor
A Catamaran Taming I Visor
A Catamaran Gain Vomit Sir
A Catamaran Gain Vims Riot
A Catamaran Gain Vims Tiro
A Catamaran Gain Vims Trio
A Catamaran Gain Vim Torsi
A Catamaran Gain Vim Tiros
A Catamaran Gain Vim Trios
A Catamaran Gain Vim Riots
A Catamaran Oaring Vims Ti
A Catamaran Oaring Vims It
A Catamaran Oaring Vim Sit
A Catamaran Oaring Vim Tis
A Catamaran Oaring Vim Its
A Catamaran Soaring Vim Ti
A Catamaran Soaring Vim It
A Catamaran Signora Vim Ti
A Catamaran Signora Vim It
A Catamaran Roasting I Vim
A Catamaran Organist I Vim
A Catamaran Savoring Mi Ti
A Catamaran Savoring Mi It
A Catamaran Orating I Vims
A Catamaran Orating Vim Is
A Catamaran Grain I Vomits
A Catamaran Grain Visit Om
A Catamaran Grain Vomit Is
A Catamaran Grains I Vomit
A Catamaran Ravings I Omit
A Catamaran Raving I Omits
A Catamaran Raving I Moist
A Catamaran Raving Omit Is
A Catamaran Gains Vim Riot
A Catamaran Gains Vim Tiro
A Catamaran Gains Vim Trio
A Catamaran Saving Mi Riot
A Catamaran Saving Mi Tiro
A Catamaran Saving Mi Trio
A Catamaran Giant Mi Visor
A Catamaran Viragos I Mint
A Catamaran Viragos Mi Tin
A Catamaran Viragos Mi Nit
A Catamaran Virago I Mints
A Catamaran Virago Mi Tins
A Catamaran Virago Mi Nits
A Catamaran Virago Mi Snit
A Catamaran Virago Mint Is
A Catamaran Virago Mis Tin
A Catamaran Virago Mis Nit
A Catamaran Virago Ism Tin
A Catamaran Virago Ism Nit
A Catamaran Virago Smit In
A Catamaran Virago Mist In
A Catamaran Gratis Mi Vino
A Catamaran Gratis Vim Ion
A Catamaran Gaits Rim Vino
A Catamaran Gaits Vim Iron
A Catamaran Gait Rim Vinos
A Catamaran Gait Rims Vino
A Catamaran Gait Vims Iron
A Catamaran Gait Vim Irons
A Catamaran Gait Vim Rosin
A Catamaran Mag Visitor In
A Catamaran Mag Visit Iron
A Catamaran Gram Vision Ti
A Catamaran Gram Vision It
A Catamaran Gram Visit Ion

[The above is the last thing Bart typed although he typed it as:

"A Catamarans Gram Visit Iton".

Where he shd've been at that point if he'd actually typed the correct phrase for every phrase he typed wd've been the last phrase in the list below. As such, there's a sortof 'Phrase Phasing' insofar as he not only made typos but also jumped around a bit & repeated phrases. All mistakes are, of course, a variety of "Anagrammatic Variations".]

A Catamaran Nag Visitor Mi
A Catamaran Nag Iris Vomit
A Catamaran Argon Visit Mi
A Catamaran Groan Visit Mi
A Catamaran Organ Visit Mi
A Catamaran Tango Iris Vim
A Catamaran Tag Mini Visor
A Catamaran Tag Vision Rim
A Catamaran Vitamin Rig So
A Catamaran Vitamin Go Sir
A Catamaran Raisin Got Vim
A Catamaran Raisin Tog Vim
A Catamaran Trivia Gin Oms
A Catamaran Trivia Sing Om
A Catamaran Trivia Gins Om
A Catamaran Trivia Sign Om
A Catamaran Trivia Smog In
A Catamaran Trivia Song Mi
A Catamaran Aim Virgins To
A Catamaran Aim Riving Sot
A Catamaran Aim Virgin Sot
A Catamaran Aim Vising Rot
A Catamaran Aim Vising Tor
A Catamaran Aim Roving Sit
A Catamaran Aim Roving Tis
A Catamaran Aim Roving Its
A Catamaran Aim Voting Sir
A Catamaran Aim Ting Visor
A Catamaran Aim Vigors Tin
A Catamaran Aim Vigors Nit
A Catamaran Aim Vigor Tins

03 A Catamaran Animist Vigor outro - 0:10 - 2009-2010 - tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE

Typing a list of nonsense correctly in wch minimal variation occurs in a dark & crowded room proved to be a very difficult challenge. Bart became, understandably, extremely frustrated & the process was called to a halt before all the relevant anagrams were typed.

The final movie for YouTube in the Selectric Piano series is:
"Mark Dixon's Selectric Piano":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x6AJ6ssJsk

- July 21, 2011 notes from tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE

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